I recently asked a filmmaker “What’s the summary of your film?” The filmmaker (who will remain nameless, but shares a common verbose quality with many other filmmakers I know) then proceeded to give a six-minute (I timed it) synopsis of her film. I then asked her for her elevator pitch version – it shrunk by about two minutes.
My takeaway from the conversation was how important it is for anyone associated with a social issue film to have an easily communicated and shareable version of your story. Frankly, it should fit into a text message or even a Tweet. That way, whomever someone tells can easily spread the word via email, Facebook, Twitter, IM or verbally. Make it painfully easy for people. Spend some time really boiling down your story and making it intriguing with as few words as possible. Of course, you can have longer versions as well, but just make sure that your elevator pitch doesn’t require a skyscraper.

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